Running Ruminations

Suddenly we’re nearly at the end of June, and we’re still fifteen weeks into what can only be described as a raging dumpster fire. I consider myself a decently-put-together person, but it is increasingly hard to stay patient and keep on, keeping on. One of the best professors I had in undergrad (hey, Vic!) once said that if you’re not pissed off, you’re not paying attention, and dear lord, it sure feels that that has never been more true than right now. I mean, pick your topic of angst. There are several from which to choose.

So what’s happened in the past week? Hot takes off the top of my head: COVID cases are (arguably, rather predictably) spiking across the country, including here, and I think it was last week Friday that my governor ruled that people must wear masks indoors (and sometimes outdoors). I don’t understand why wearing masks is such a contentious issue, yet I can’t help but wonder (and thought experiment it to death) how COVID would look different, if at all, if it happened during Obama’s tenure or during that of another Democrat — or hell, just for fun, even under a different Republican. 

I completely understand that the personal is political, always, but at what point can someone reasonably argue that refusing to heed medical advice is an expression of political free will or agency versus … I don’t know, just being reckless and irresponsible and selfish and (pick your adjective here)? I’m dumbfounded. It’s something that takes minimal effort, and you do it out of love for other people, including strangers. It’s not a hard concept. 

As a result of the amplification of Black Lives Matter and the horrific tragedies surrounding Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor’s murders — among others — I’ve been trying to keep abreast of each individual’s case as it advances (or fails to) through the justice system. Besides reading the news each morning, with the books I just finished within the past week — Between the World and Me and Me and White Supremacy — it’s hard to not be pissed off all the time. That Arbery’s killers have been charged with murder gives me a modicum of hope in an otherwise very hopeless situation. 

On occupying time and settling mental unrest 

Listening: Code Switch has had some excellent pods lately, including Karla Cornejo Villavicencio talking about her book, The Undocumented Americans (adding that to my queue) and about last week’s DACA decision. I also really liked Mario’s conversation with Kamilah Journet on the morning shakeout (she’s so great! I got to spend time with her on the Women Who Fly trip with Hoka One One a few years ago). Two more listening recommendations — the entire 1619 podcast (only six episodes long) from NYT and Keeping Track’s chat with Gwen Berry about her podium protest at the Pan-Am games. There have been many runs in the past week where I thought I’d only go out for a couple miles but end up spending over an hour running simply because I don’t want to stop listening. These podcast episodes really are that good. 

Watching: Last week, I talked about New Found Glory’s songathon to promote their tenth studio album on Friday. We tuned in and watched it — A watched all of it with me, start to finish, all three+ hours of it — and it was amazing!! I rewatched it on Saturday before they took it down, and it was better than I thought it would be. No doubt that that was one of my most-enjoyed quarantine purchases. What’s yours? 

Reading: Like I said above, I finished both Me and White Supremacy and Between the World and Me last week, and they were both phenomenal, powerful, hard reads that I wholeheartedly recommend. Queued up next is Thick and White Fragility, and I have more library eloan requests pending. I also got some books for the girls the other day that we haven’t yet begun, Resist and Flying Lessons & Other Stories. A is especially excited about summer reading this year, which is pretty cool, and I’m interested in exploring anti-racist lit for kids with her and G. 

Running: A is in week 9 of her 10 week training, so this week includes her longest runs: 40 minutes (today), 42 minutes on Friday, and then 42 again on Saturday or Sunday. On Father’s Day, she participated in the Mermaid Series’ virtual run (a 5k), and she completed the distance (again! I’m so proud!). With COVID cases trending upward, it’s likely that her swim team’s returning to practice will be delayed, which may mean that she’ll keep running with me all summer long … about which I would surely not complain. 🙂   Otherwise, I’m in the final week of Wolfpack’s June-long vert challenge, and I’ve enjoyed all the runs in ARP since it opened. (And today NYRR announced that the NYC Marathon for the fall was cancelled, which is obviously the right call. It’s bizarre to me that Chicago [and other fall races] haven’t canceled yet). 

Stuff to do with the kiddos: I took the girls to ARP the other day, thinking that they’d enjoy playing in the streams for a bit. They did — which I expected — but I didn’t expect that they’d be interested in going for a hike (up half of S. Rim) with very little complaining. We dropped a couple hours there (protip: parking is free throughout the entire park right now), and they’re already looking forward to going back there again and hiking more of the trails where Janet and I run. Free fun, outdoors … I like it. 

Stay healthy, be well, read and listen, and take care. xo